100 Themes of Leo
by Lyza K
Summary: 100 oneshots featuring the one and only Leo Valdez! Written for Wishing-Fire's 100 theme challenge. Contains Lazel.
1. Introduction

**Hello! So I decided to do Wishing-Fire's 100 theme challenge as a way to recover from MoA. There will be 100 chapters, all centered on Leo Valdez. I will_ try_ to have them all be 100 words, but I make no promises.**

**The first theme is 'Introduction' **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Leo sat at his desk, twirling his pencil between his fingers. The new kid, Jason Grace, was sitting in front of him, and Leo was debating whether or not to poke him in the head with the pencil.

He glanced sideways at the desk next to him. Piper, a terrified yet excited expression on her face, raised her eyebrows and pointed her chin at Jason.

Coach Hedge looked asleep behind his desk, but Leo knew from experience that the dude had freaky hearing. He did not want to risk incurring the wrath of that baseball bat.

Leo shook his head slightly at Piper. She glared and gave him the "Talk to the cute new guy for me or I'll kill you" look.

Inwardly sighing, Leo tapped Jason on the shoulder.

Jason turned around quizzically. Leo gave him his trademark goofy smile.

"Hello my fellow prison-mate! I am the one and only Leo Valdez, and this here is my comrade-in-arms, Piper. Welcome to Wilderness..."

"VALDEZ!"

Ugh. Piper owed him _big time_ for this.

* * *

**Oh well...more then eighty words over the limit xP****.**

**Did you catch the Mark of Athena reference in the glare that Piper gave Leo?**

**Next up: 'Love'.**


	2. Love

**Happy Halloween!**

**Ok, so this chapter is a bit angsty, and is sort of poem-y. Not what I originally intended for the prompt, but oh well.**

**CrazyAnProudofIt: Thank you for reviewing, I really appreciate it! :) The challenge is technically supposed to only be 100 words per chapter, but I already went about 80 words over the limit on the last chapter, so I'm not sure whether I'm even going to keep trying on that. And no, it's not AU, the chapter just took place while Leo, Piper, and Jason were at Wilderness Academy. It was the mist-memory that Leo has of meeting Jason.**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Leo loved his mother, but she was dead.

He loved Piper (like a sister) but she spent all her time with Jason.

Jason was his best friend, but he had been acting humorless (Roman-like) of late.

Percy and Annabeth were in Tartarus (thanks to him and that stupid cookie).

He loved Hazel (maybe), but he had promised Frank.

She wouldn't be interested anyway.

His brothers and sisters (Jake, Nyssa and the rest) were across the ocean, about to fight with the Romans.

That was his fault too.

So Leo just sat with Festus and Buford at the prow of the Argo II.

They weren't people, but at least they loved him back.

* * *

**Next up: Hate**

**(I have a bit of writers block for it though, so it might be a slightly longer wait)**


	3. Hate

**Ok, so inspiration finally struck last night! Yay!**

**And, whoa! I have no idea why I suddenly got a lot more hits, reviews, alerts, and favorites for the last chapter but gee, thanks everyone! (And thank you CrazyAnProudOfIt for some of the ideas) :)**

**Hate:**

* * *

It had started out a good day for Leo - the Argo II was almost completed and everyone had been in high spirits.

And then, of course, the engine had to go and break.

"Stupid machine!" Leo, his face streaked with grease and sweat, banged his wrench against the useless lump of metal.

"Stupid Gaia!" He had no doubt in his mechanic skills; old Dirt-Face had to be interfering with the internal workings of the engine.

He continued hitting it, unleashing all the frustration that had built up over the last few months, pretending the engine was Gaia, Tia Callida, Aunt Rosa; everyone he hated the most. The clang of metal on metal resounding throughout the engine room was strangely satisfying.

Then Annabeth yelled from above deck. "LEO VALDEZ! What in Hades are you doing down there? Get back to fixing that engine!"

Leo abruptly stopped himself.

"Stupid organic life-forms."

* * *

**Hmmmm. It sort of turned into 'Anger' (which isn't a prompt in this challenge) but oh well.**

**The next prompt is 'Vacation,' but I have to study all weekend for a math test, so no updates until Monday at the earliest.**

**And now - to my studies!**


	4. Vacation

**I lied. **

**Not on purpose though! I really meant not to work on this at all until after my test, but I am awful at resisting when inspiration strikes.**

**So here I am at thirty minutes past midnight, updating.**

**For some reason, I regret nothing.**

**Review replies:**

**Guest - Thank you. Thank you for the advice, and thank you for inspiring me to write this chapter as well as I possibly could. I dedicate this chapter to you.**

* * *

The summer sun baked the asphalt streets of New Orleans, but four-year-old Leo Valdez was barely affected by the heat. Giggling, he ran ahead of his mother; his small size enabled him to dart effortlessly between passerby.

"Careful _mijo_!" She was laughing behind him. "Don't get too far ahead."

He craned his head back and grinned at her, then darted off into a shadowy side street.

And abruptly stopped.

Looming before him was an old building behind a cruel-looking iron gate. The building was dilapidated; windows boarded up, roof caving in, the works. The trees in the small front yard were covered in Spanish moss, looking to Leo like dollops of ghostly slime had been deposited on them.

Leo took a step back from it, breathing heavily from his run.

Someone caught him around the middle. He squealed in terror before realising it was his mother.

He smiled sheepishly at her.

"Oh, Leo. What am I going to do with you," she said affectionately as she lifted him up and carried him back towards the main street.

Looking back over her shoulder, Leo could see a wooden sign on the iron gate. The paint was cracked and flaking, but still legible.

It was one of those vacations that Leo would remember only as a sunny, happy time he had spent with his mother. He would not remember the shadows of the side street, the creepy building, or the sign that said

_St. Agnes Academy for Colored Children and Indians._

* * *

**Ok, now there really will be no more updates until Monday.**

**The next prompt is "Growing Up."**


	5. Growing Up

**I'm back!**

**Thanks for the lovely reviews everyone, I really appreciate it!**

**So this turned out a bit...longer then I intended, but oh well.**

**This one is just the teensiest bit AU. It's set after the Giant War and Leo has rebuilt Festus.**

* * *

"LEO!"

Uh-oh.

What had Leo messed up this time?

He pushed back his welding goggles, stuck his wrench in his tool-belt, sauntered over to the forge's door and carefully poked his head out.

"What can the Leo-man do for you?" He grinned at Annabeth, who greeted him with an expression so thunderous that Zeus would be jealous.

"_Your dragon_ seems to have gone haywire, and not for the first time either!"

Leo's heart sank. He'd been so _sure_ that the new control disk would work.

Annabeth was relentless "He and Mrs. O'Leary are running around, scaring the younger campers, and..."

She was interrupted by the hell-hound in question barreling past them, Festus clanging along close behind. Leo walked all the way out of the forge and looked around; taking stock of the problem.

The situation wasn't that bad; sure the Demeter cabin now had a broken roof and all, but Festus and Mrs. O'Leary looked like they were having fun. Leo breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing wrong with the control disk. Festus was just being a normal metal dragon.

"Aw, they're just playing Annabeth!"

She glared at him. "You call _that_ playing? Katie is going to throw a fit! Go get him under control."

Leo walked forward, grumbling to himself. "Some pets ruin the neighbor's garden. Mine breaks the neighbor's roof."

"Festus! Buddy! What's up?"

Festus stopped and turned his head towards Leo, letting loose a series of creaks to explain. Mrs. O'Leary had also come to a halt, and was panting a short distance away.

Annabeth impatiently ran up and asked, "Can you tell him not to cause so much havoc every time he gets excited?"

"Shhh. I'm trying to listen."

After a few minutes of suspense, Annabeth could apparently wait no longer. "Well? What's got him all riled up this time?"

Leo broke into a grin and pumped his fist. "Festus and Mrs. O'Leary are officially going out!"

"Wait...what?" Annabeth stood slack-jawed.

Excited beyond belief, Leo ran off to find Jason and Piper.

"My baby dragon is growing up!"

* * *

**Ok, the next one's not going to be quite so...happy.**

**The theme is "Trouble's Brewing"**

***Evil cackle***


	6. Trouble's Brewing

**So I got the idea for this one before the last one, which is part of the reason I made the last one more on the fluffy and humorous side.**

**This one's a bit...dark.**

**Once again, a huge thank you to all the wonderful reviewers!**

* * *

Leo stood at the helm of the Argo II, being careful not to fly into birds, airplanes, and big ugly monsters. His peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich sat untouched on a plate next to him; the thought of eating it made him feel sick.

Piper, of course, had tried to charmspeak him into taking a break and having lunch with the rest of them, but Jason had convinced her to let him be. Even so, she had brought him the sandwich and insisted that he eat it.

Leo wondered how long he could avoid everyone before she demanded what was wrong.

And what would he say? That ever since Percy and Annabeth had fallen to Tartarus, he'd been getting more and more unstable? That there was a boiling sensation in his stomach that just kept getting more unbearable?

That he couldn't risk being near anyone, especially Hazel, when he finally blew?

No. He shook his head vigorously. He could keep it under control. He had to. No matter how angry he was at Gaia, the stupid spider-lady's web, or the world in general, he could not let anyone else be hurt by his fire.

He had discovered that the burning feeling lessened when he didn't think about it, so Leo turned his attention back to flying the ship. He frowned. There were dark storm clouds up ahead. Oh well, Jason could probably...

"Leo, why is this sandwich still in existence?"

Piper was standing in front of him, holding the offensive sandwich in one hand, and her dagger in the other. She looked like she meant business.

He grinned fakely and played dumb, ignoring the renewed burning in his stomach. "What sandwich?"

Piper snarled through her teeth. "_Leo. Valdez. _You will eat this sandwich _now_ and tell me what's wrong or I will tie you to the mast and shove it down your throat." She pointed Katoptris threateningly at him. "And don't think Jason is going to save you this time. He's worried too."

The heat became almost unbearable.

Leo was suddenly, irrationally, angry at Piper. Why wouldn't she just go away and stop whining about the stupid sandwich? Why couldn't she just _leave him alone?_

She stepped forward and opened her mouth, probably to yell at him.

Leo burst into flames.

* * *

**Muahaha!**

**The next one will probably be happy again. The theme is "First encounter with an animal."**


	7. First Encounter With an Animal

**Ah, he...so I probably would have written and posted this yesterday, but I kind of got distracted by an idea I got. The idea is now a (longer) oneshot called Something's Missing, in which I separate the Greeks and Romans, retrospectively kill some characters that really don't deserve it, and basically ruin all the characters relationships. (Well, maybe not _all_ of them. But most of them). **

**So if you're interested in some rather angsty Lazel, go ahead and give it a shot. :)**

**And...now for theme No# 7.**

* * *

The unsuspecting salamander lay motionless in a pool of the sunlight that fell on the porch.

Leo held a water-glass in his hand and slowly approached it, crawling forward on hands and knees while being carefully avoiding splinters.

He had been assigned to write a report for school about salamanders, and while reading about them, he had learned how, in many legends and myths, salamanders were fire elementals, and therefore, fire-proof.

Leo had reasoned that if he could only just _find_ a salamander, he could have a pet that he wouldn't ever have to worry about burning.

And here was one, right on his front porch! It stared lazily at him as he brought down the glass and then wiggled wildly as it found itself trapped.

And now, to make sure it was the kind of fire-proof salamander he was looking for...

"Come inside and eat your dinner, _mijo_." His mother poked her head through the screen door. "And let that poor skink go. I thought you were studying amphibians, not lizards."

Appalled, Leo lifted the glass and watched his prisoner scuttle away. That had been a narrow escape.

He didn't think there were any fire-proof lizards.

* * *

**So there you have it. **

**And, my apologies for the shameless self-promoting**

**Next prompt:**

**First Love**

**(And yes, it will be Lazel)**


	8. First Love

**Sorry this is a little late. I have an excuse! (Or rather, excuse_s_). I'm currently studying for finals, but the main reason I didn't update earlier is that I was in tech for A Christmas Carol, meaning I was both busy and tired.**

**The other excuse is that I had writers block on how to end this chapter. But I got through it.**

**Have I not been putting disclaimers in the last few chapters? I can't remember. But in any case, I own nothing of anything in any of these chapters.**

* * *

The pizza was good. That was what Leo tried to concentrate on at lunch, not at Percy and Annabeth's empty chairs or Frank and Hazel acting affectionate, laughing together on the opposite side of the table.

He dropped his napkin. When he ducked under the table to pick it up, he saw that they were holding hands.

Leo made sure to plaster a grin on his face when he emerged. "Well," he cracked his knuckles. "Time for Admiral Leo to get back to the helm!"

Piper looked up and frowned. "Leo, you haven't finished your pizza. Are you feeling alright?" Next to her, Jason rolled his eyes a little and shot Leo an apologetic smile.

He was no longer hungry, but he picked up the slice all the same. "I'll eat it while I walk."

The pizza was tasteless.

He walked along the outside edge of the ship. About half-way down the walkway he leaned on the railing and watched the clouds move below him.

What if Frank hadn't gotten there first?

That was the question he asked himself every day.

What if?

Although, he smiled a little, _technically_ Frank hadn't been first. Sammy Valdez had been Hazel's first boyfriend.

Somehow, that didn't make Leo feel much better.

He let the remainder of his pizza crust fall into the sky.

* * *

**The next theme is "First Crush"**


	9. First Crush

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

Before he'd gone to Wilderness Academy and met Jason and Piper, or so he said during campfire stories, Leo's favorite school had been the one he had gone to when he was on his third foster family. The school wasn't really any different from the other schools he had been to, except for one thing, or rather, one person.

Megan Bobofit was a pretty girl, and even at twelve, Leo had a thing for pretty girls. She was also a genius at math, and that had sealed the deal. Pretty _and_ smart? Oh boy! Of course, she wouldn't even give him the time of day, but that was okay. The Leo-man had a plan!

Operation Get-The-Girl had been a great plan, a stroke of genius if Leo did say so himself, which he did at every telling of the story.

Sadly, all Piper and Jason were ever able to get out of him was that Op. GTG had involved soda, Mentos, a large amount of bubblegum, and had been thwarted only by the most unfortunate arrival of Megan's cousin, Nancy.

"Ah, the ending of that story is far too painful to relate," he would say cheerfully through a mouthful of s'mores. "I just hope Nancy got her own back eventually. She was a nightmare."

* * *

**So, the good news is that I have the next two chapters all ready to go! The bad news is, my internet time has been limited lately. I'l post them when I can though!**

**The next theme is "First Tragedy."**


	10. First Tragedy

**So, I just decided to post this chapter right away.**

**It's a bit...different then the other chapters, for two reasons. One: it's not in Leo's point of view, and two: it's a poem.**

**If you don't like poems, well, fear not! I still need to revise the next chapter before I post it, but it is decidedly _not_ a poem.**

**As always, I own nothing**

* * *

So young you were.

Seven or eight I believe?

* * *

Maybe younger; I have no patience

for counting your measly

human years.

* * *

There will be no years

or humans

when I,

who heard your mother's screams,

have risen.

* * *

And I _will_ rise,

for I know just how

to manipulate you

to my advantage.

* * *

It is pleasing to me

that your spirit

is already broken,

and yet it can be

broken more.

* * *

Like shards of glass,

shattered into smaller

and smaller pieces.

Crushed further

and further

into dust.

* * *

Glass comes from sand.

As it dissolves

it returns to the earth.

As shall you.

* * *

Take a sniff, hero.

You can still smell

the smoke

from that burning warehouse,

can't you?

* * *

You still feel the same

rage and despair

that came afterwards,

don't you?

* * *

I did well, didn't I?

In breaking your spirit?

With the others, it will be harder;

they do not have

your faults,

your flaws,

your tendency towards guilt.

* * *

They do not have

your thirst for revenge.

They have no personal vendetta

against me,

except, perhaps,

for Hazel.

* * *

Oh.

You do not like

that I mention _her_?

* * *

How interesting.

* * *

Be careful my pawn:

* * *

your first tragedy

will not be your last.

* * *

**Well, fanfiction sure doesn't like more than one ENTER in a row. Oh well. Lines will suffice.**

**Oh, hey! This is theme #10! Only 90 more to go. :D**

**#11 is "Parents"**


	11. Parents

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews for the last two chapters! It means a lot to me. :)**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

"Mom, what was my dad like?" Leo was tinkering with some gears on the floor of his mom's workshop. He was supposed to be getting started on his science fair project, but was procrastinating as much as possible.

His mother looked up from her work – a motor that she was repairing. "_Mijo_, you know that you will meet your father someday, when you are ready." She reached down and ruffled his hair. "You are not yet ready."

"I _know_ that." Leo was not ashamed that he whined a little. "I just want to know what he's _like_. So that I'll know it's him."

"Well…" His mother looked into his pleading eyes. "All right. I will tell you a little about him." She put down her wrench and leaned back in her seat. "Your father likes inventing and fooling around with machines…"

"Like you? And me?"

She smiled and winked at him. "Patience, _mijo_! Let me finish." She continued, a far-away look in her eyes. "Yes, he's a sort of engineer, like me, and maybe someday you. He'll like you when he meets you."

"He will?" Leo asked, wide-eyed. His father would _like_ him?"

His mother just laughed. "Of course he will! He's not very good with people though, so he may seem a bit gruff at first. You must remember to be indulgent with him. Do you promise that you won't give him too hard of a time when he does appear?"

Leo nodded fervently. "Do you think he'll like my science project? It's going to be a boat, with gears that raise the sails and everything!"

Esperanza Valdez looked with pride at her son. "I'm sure he'll be very proud of it."

* * *

**The next theme is "Afraid of the Dark." It's already written and contains quite a bit of Lazel (yay!). I just need to revise it a little first, and then I'll post it when I can (maybe tomorrow morning).**


	12. Afraid of the Dark

**Why, hello again!**

**This one's rather long, especially compared to the other chapters.**

**I think I'm giving up on the 'exactly 100 words long' thing. Oh well.**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

It was a sad fact of life, Leo thought, that when you're trying to save the world, playing prisoner in a dark cave is not fun, no matter how much you like your prison buddy.

Especially when said prison buddy is unconscious and you're worried sick about her.

He heard Hazel stir. "Leo? Are you there?" Phew. She was awake, thank Zeus.

"Yup. I'm here."

He heard a sigh of relief in the darkness, and then a wince. "Ouch, my head. What happened?"

"Those big, scary, snowball monsters knocked us out and dumped us in here. Man, I hate Khione." He leaned his head against the rock wall.

Rock. Hm. "Hey, do you think you can drill through this wall?"

She was silent for a minute. Leo could just picture the adorably thoughtful look on her face.

"No, I don't think so. There's some sort of enchantment on it…and anyways, I've never tried to drill through solid rock before." She paused. "I guess we're stuck."

Leo sat up straight. "Us? Stuck? You gotta be kidding me!"

"Leo."

"I mean, sure, we get into a lot of really, really bad situations, but we always…"

"Leo!"

"Okay, fine! I'll be quiet."

For a while, the only sound was a drip of some water from the ceiling. They had to be in some sort of cave.

Then Hazel broke the silence. "I just wish it wasn't so dark in here."

"Oh don't tell me you're afraid of the dark." Leo thought this would be odd in someone who was such an expert at tunneling underground.

"No! Well, maybe a little. It's just…I can't help thinking about Percy and Annabeth."

She sniffed, and Leo realized she must have been crying silently. He tentatively reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, they'll be fine."

He could tell that Hazel didn't believe him, but she didn't say anything.

Leo got an idea. "Of course!" He raised his hand in front of him and lit it.

Light illuminated the cave, making shadows behind some of the stalactites (or maybe they were stalagmites, Leo had never figured out which was which.) It was a small cave, just large enough for Leo to stand up and stretch out his arms, which he did just now. "Whoa, where's the door?"

Hazel had stood up next to him, and looked around, her eyes wide. "It's one of those caves that are just deep in the earth and don't have any large openings." She looked at his hand in alarm. "You'd better put that out, or the smoke will make us suffocate!"

Leo immediately turned off the fire. He sat down, and could hear Hazel sitting down too. The darkness seemed more oppressive and threatening now that the light had been taken away. "You think that we'll run out of air anyways?"

She was biting her lip in confusion, he just knew it. "Maybe…if they wanted to kill us they could have done it already...but we should probably stop talking, just in case."

Leo mock-gasped, trying to hide how scared he was. "Stop talking! I, Leo Valdez, possibly going to my grave and _not _talking my head off and being annoying?"

"Leo."

"Okay, okay!" He was silent.

The minutes dragged on. Hazel was so quiet that at times Leo couldn't even tell she was there.

"Leo?"

"Ye-es?"

"Could you make some sort of small noise? Not talking...just something that doesn't use a lot of energy. I don't like it being so quiet in here…and I need to know that you're there."

"Okay."

He put his fingers on a rock next to him and tapped his fingernails against it. At first, there was no method to his tapping, he just drummed his fingers in no order at all.

Then, Leo got another idea; maybe the last one he would ever get. He smiled slightly to himself and changed the rhythm of his tapping.

He tapped long and short taps; in Morse code. It was the language he could best express himself to organic life forms in. Even if the organic life form in question didn't understand him (or, at least, he hoped she didn't. That would be awkward if they somehow managed to get of this mess alive.)

He tapped what he had tapped on walls to his mother, and what Sammy had tapped on the arm his chair in that flashback.

Over and over, as they waited in the darkness, Leo tapped three little words.

_I love you._

* * *

**For those of you who just hate open endings:**

**thensuddenlytherewasahugecra shwaterpouredintheroomlights hownindidyoumissmesaidpercy.**

**Phew. That was long**

**Next theme is 'Holding Hands'**

**I am open to suggestions :)**


	13. Holding Hands

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Ever since the whole Percy-and-Annabeth-falling-into-Tartarus thing it had been taking Leo a long time to fall asleep. He worried a lot, about how Percy and Annabeth could be killed, or Gaia could send him nasty dreams, or how the pizza supply on the Argo II might run out. You know, little earth-shaking things like that.

Then there was the fact that when he woke up, he would be faced with his fellow demigods acting all affectionate with their significant other. Yeah, he really enjoyed watching them constantly hold hands while he steered the ship and told jokes to Festus.

Eventually, he would roll over and concentrate on a memory that relaxed him. More often than not he thought of the moment on the boulder with Hazel, when her hand had rested in his just an instant too long. The memory of the warmth of her hand comforted him, and allowed him to drift off peacefully into sleep.

Sometimes Gaea didn't even send him dreams.

* * *

**Ehhh, I'm not overly satisfied with this one. Sorry it's so short.**

**The next theme is 'Popcorn', which I have been looking forward to for a while ;)**


	14. Popcorn

**Sorry for the wait! I got busy with end-of-semester stuff...**

**Happy birthday, Thalia!**

**I own nothing**.

* * *

"Okay, who came up with this idea?" Frank grumbled, his voice clearly carrying through the kitchen wall.

Leo put down the one of the numerous pans of popcorn he was currently cooking and poked his head into the TV room, where Frank and Hazel were setting up chairs and couches. Well, Hazel was setting up chairs; Frank had given up on pushing the couch and had collapsed on it.

"Me!" Leo said mischievously. "You know, since I'm the resident genius and all."

Frank rolled his eyes. "Of course. No one else would decide to have a _movie night_ in the middle of a war."

Hazel sat down next to him and put her hand on his arm. "Frank," she said warningly "It's a good idea. Morale has been really low lately…and besides." She grinned. "I want to see what modern movies are like."

"Well…" Frank paused, seemingly uncomfortable. "I suppose if you really want to…" He smiled at Hazel, who beamed back, her golden eyes sparkling.

Leo leaned against the wall, ignoring the sudden tightness in his chest. "So!" He clapped his hands together. "When's the happy day? Am I invited to the wedding?" With a little effort he managed to keep his tone light.

"Leo!" Hazel started fanning herself.

Frank scowled at him, his good mood apparently spoiled. "Aren't you supposed to be making the snacks or something?"

Leo suddenly realized that he had left the popcorn popping. "Oh right…whoops."

Hazel leaped up and pushed past him to the kitchen. "Leo!" she reprimanded. "How much popcorn did you cook?"

"What! I had to make a ton - you have not seen how fast this camp can eat pop..." He turned around to see Hazel nearly doubled over with laughter. Popcorn covered the kitchen of the Big House, tumbling out of the pans, bouncing around the room and coating the floor like snow.

"Okay, I am not cleaning that up." Frank had come up behind them.

"Oh, lighten up a bit!" Leo suddenly got an idea. He walked into the room and picked up a handful of the popcorn. Grinning devilishly he turned to Hazel, who looked like she might burst into laughter again at any moment. "I think that anyone who won't help Leo, master of fun, to _create_ fun is in need of a _lesson_ in fun, wouldn't you say?"

A wicked smile slowly appeared on Hazel's face. She nodded.

Frank looked confused. "What…"

"POPBALL FIGHT!" Leo threw his handful of popcorn at Frank, hitting him square in the chest.

Frank frowned.

Then Hazel leaped forward and, giggling, threw another handful at Frank. They both started pelting him, handful after handful. At first he tried to shield himself with his hands, but after realizing that this was useless, he lowered them. A small smile appeared on his face when Hazel started throwing popcorn at Leo as well as him.

Then he joined in.

As the movie preparations were forgotten and the two-on-one fight devolved into the complete chaos of a three-sided popcorn war, Leo felt all his worries melt away.

He refused to let himself think of how long this would take to clean up.

* * *

**Meh, I'm not too sure about this one...**

**Next theme is 'Cookies.'**


	15. Cookies

**Merry Christmas!**

**I hope you have a wonderful day! Mine was going great, but my parents gave me the opera La Boheme and...well I don't think I'll ever recover.**

**Just kidding, my day's still going great, and it didn't take me all that long to recover. (you know, once I stopped sobbing...)**

**Pay no attention to my rambling. I'm just a classical music junkie. :)**

**Now where was I...oh yes, 'Cookies'.**

* * *

Leo had major doubts about this idea. It wasn't that he had any objection to meeting Percy's mom, it was just that he didn't want to feel like he was the seventh wheel again.

Still, he was honored (and a little confused) that Percy had asked him to come with him to visit his mom for the first time in nearly a year.

"Wouldn't you rather have Annabeth with you?" Leo had asked, dumbfounded.

Percy had simply shrugged. "Annabeth went there all the time when I was missing. You've never met my mom."

Leo hadn't understood what that had to do with it. Lots of people had never met Percy's mom, for example Jason, Piper, Frank and Hazel. Leo didn't even know _Percy_ all that well. At first he had been a bit intimidated by the guy (especially after that whole little blowing-up-New-Rome incident), then there had been the whole Tartarus thing, then the war itself…with one thing or another always happening, Leo and Percy had never really hung out.

Even so, Leo had agreed to accompany him.

So here they were, standing in front of Percy's apartment building doing…well, nothing. Percy was just standing there, looking up and taking in the sight. Leo stood awkwardly next to him, hopping from side to side.

"So um…nice place?" he ventured to ask.

Percy was unresponsive, smiling blissfully up at his home.

Leo tried again. "Um, Percy, buddy…shouldn't we go up?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Let's go."

Percy walked into the building. Leo grumbled to himself as he followed him up the stairs. Why had he agreed to this? He was going to end up standing uncomfortably to one side while Percy and his mother had their touching reunion and talked about people and things that had nothing to do with Leo…

Percy stopped and tentatively knocked on the door next to him.

It opened.

Sally Jackson had obviously been cooking. For one thing, the delicious smell of chocolate-chip cookies emanated from the apartment. For another, she held in one hand a wooden spoon that was dripping with batter, which she dropped on seeing them.

"P-Percy?" She covered her mouth with her hands.

Percy smiled ruefully. "I told you I'd make it back."

Leo had to step to the side as she rushed past him to envelope Percy in a hug. He looked away. Maybe he should leave, let them catch up without him lurking around…

"And you must be Leo!" Sally released Percy and gave an astounded Leo a small squeeze around the shoulders. "Annabeth told me all about you."

Leo gulped, hoping Annabeth hadn't said he was a crazy lunatic. He guessed she hadn't, since Percy's mom was giving him such a warm welcome. Maybe she was used to crazy people and weird stuff after all this demigod hoopla.

Sally stepped back and smiled at them. "I'm making some cookies. Do you boys want some?"

Percy grinned. "Do you even have to ask?"

For some reason that Leo couldn't guess, the cookies were blue. Yup, definitely used to weird stuff.

Even so, they were the best cookies that Leo had ever eaten.

* * *

**I own nothing.**

**Next theme is 'Memories'**

**(Now, on to my next Puccini Christmas gift - Tosca!)**


	16. Memories

**So this chapter and the next chapter are both really short, so I'm going to post both of them today.**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Leo kept his eyes on the horizon but his thoughts drifted in all directions.

The sky looked like it had the day his mother had taken him to the park – blue and clear. She had taken the day off of work to have a picnic with him; they had eaten peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and potato chips.

"LEO!" Piper yelled from the other side of the ship. Crashing and roaring sounds blew over to the helm. Leo shook himself out of his memories and sighed as he ran to the scene of whatever disaster had befallen them this time.

Time to kick some monster butt. Again.

* * *

**The next theme is 'Tower.'**


	17. Tower

**So this story has hit 50 reviews! Thanks so much you guys! :D**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Even though Frank towered over him, Leo was no longer intimidated by the guy. In fact he felt a bit sorry for him. Sure, Frank could turn into a dinosaur and stomp on him at any moment, but the whole stick thing kind of sucked. Leo was not at all jealous of Frank's position.

Well, okay, maybe a little jealous. But only because of Hazel.

Still, it had to be hard to have your girlfriend hang around with someone who could cut your life-line in no time flat, especially since your girlfriend was the one who kept said life-line in her pocket. So Leo had gone out of his way to avoid both Hazel and Frank ever since the incident in Rome.

Besides, he was busy with flying the Argo II and studying the scrolls of Archimedes. Even so, he couldn't help but feeling like one of those fairytale characters who spent all their time locked up in towers – adrift and separated from the rest of the world.

Somehow he had to build a ladder.

* * *

**Next theme is 'Stripes.'**


	18. Stripes

**Really sorry, I meant to finish this chapter on New Years Eve but then stuff happened, and I'm going on vacation tomorrow so I have to post this now really quick. Sorry if there's a typo or two...**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

It was a warm July night on the _Argo II_. Leo, steering the ship through the midnight waters, was nearly lulled to sleep several times by the rocking of the ship and the sound of waves lapping on the hull. It was a good thing he wasn't technically on sentry duty, because otherwise they would no doubt have been attacked by monsters several times.

Hazel was sitting near the wheel, awake and alert-looking as she kept a watch for attackers. It was so warm that she had taken off the denim jacket that held Frank's stick, something she rarely did. On her forearm, Leo could see the mark _SPQR_ and a single stripe beneath it.

Jason's shift had ended only thirty minutes ago, but to Leo it felt like Hazel had been on look-out for ages. The silence between them was very awkward; tense like a thousand stretched rubber bands.

Finally Leo couldn't take it anymore. He cleared his throat. "So…" he began. Hazel turned to face him, golden eyes glinting in the darkness. "…The tattoo thingy – do _all_ the Romans have those?" _Dumb question. Why even bother to open your mouth, Valdez?_

Hazel apparently didn't think it was a dumb question at all: "Most of us – everyone that's not on _probatio_ that is" she replied

"_Probatio_? Like 'probation'? Does Reyna spray you with magical tattoo-remover when you're bad?"

She giggled. "No. Everyone's on _probatio_ until you've either been in the legion for a year, or have done a heroic deed."

"So, how did you 'earn your stripe'?" he asked teasingly.

Hazel blushed. "It wasn't anything really, I just stopped the unicorns from running by using the metal in their horns."

Leo whistled. "The Romans must have some really stubborn unicorns."

"Well, they _were_ about to gore Dakota. It's hard to stop them once they're stampeding." Hazel shrugged. "I don't know. I guess Reyna thought it was good enough to get me out of _probatio_."

"Good enough? Are you kidding?" Leo was incredulous. "You're amazing!"

Hazel looked down at the wooden deck of the ship. "Thank you" she said quietly.

Leo bit his lip. He had somehow made things awkward again, just like always. _Smooth, Valdez. Real smooth._

He steered the ship in silence.

It was past midnight when Hazel spoke again. "I should get Frank for his shift." She stood up and stretched, shrugging her jacket on. Then she looked at Leo and smiled. "Night Leo. See you in the morning."

"Bright and early!" Leo flashed a peace sign. "Goodnight Haze."

* * *

**Next theme is "Stars" gottagoandpackbye.**


	19. Stars

**I'm back!**

**I apologize for the wait, but while I was on vacation, I was struck by a sudden burst of inspiration for themes #30 and #40. Aheh. Oops**

**So the good news is that I have those two written. The bad news is that I have to write all the one's in between now. Still, I have incentive now to get to them. :)**

**...and here is #19, Stars**

* * *

Leo was fiddling with a mechanical detail of the sails, suspended in a harness that swung high above the deck of the _Argo II. _The Stolls had wanted to charge the other campers for swinging in it, but Leo had (reluctantly) vetoed the idea. He needed the harness to work in; needed to complete the ship on time.

He couldn't mess up: he was one of the seven; one of the demigods who were going to defeat Gaea and become the heroes of the decade. One of the stars of Olympus.

Oh boy. Leo couldn't wait to get attacked by monsters every waking (and sleeping) minute of his life.

Okay, the whole 'revered hero' thing had a nice ring to it and all, but really? They were seven kids – how were they supposed to defeat the entire _Earth_?

Leo told himself not to think about that. _Concentrate on building epic warship, _then _think about defeating old Potty Sludge Face. _

_Just don't screw up._

"Valdez! Stop loafing around and get back to work!"

Startled out of his thoughts, Leo dropped his screw-driver. There was a short yelp. He looked down warily.

Clarisse. Uh-oh.

She glared up at him from the still-in-construction floor of the ship, holding the screwdriver and rubbing her head. "Valdez...get down here. I want a little word with you."

Leo gulped and pushed the button to lower the harness.

He always tried his best, but he was a star of Olympus, so things never went according to plan_._

* * *

**Next theme: Universe.**


	20. Universe

**Sorry for such a long wait for such a short chapter! The start of school has really cut into my writing time.**

**This chapter I left rather ambiguous. Someone has died. (But who?)**

* * *

Leo watched the flames of the funeral pyre spiral up to the star-spattered night sky, tendrils of smoke weaving in and out of each other.

It felt like the entire universe was against them. Him in particular.

His remaining friends stood around him, some with heads bent, some openly crying. Leo himself did neither; he had already cried out all his tears.

He stood, shell-shocked. Unable to tear his gaze away from the fire.

Who had started the tradition of burning bodies at their funerals? Leo wanted to punch that person in the face.

Then again, he was just angry at everything. It wasn't really anyone's fault that fire happened to be wherever death was.

The fire radiated so much heat that the skin on his face felt tight. The backs of his eyeballs burned with the tears he had shed many times over. He shed them again and again, and yet they were never enough, and never would be enough to extinguish this pyre.

Because of the _stupid_ universe.

* * *

**The next theme is "Princess." I promise it will be less morbid then this chapter! :D**

**Also, I changed the picture thingy for this story (and my profile, and basically everything else.) I can't decide whether to keep this one or go back to using the tulips, so I put a poll on my profile.**

**Lyzzie out.**


	21. Princess

**Sorry again for the long wait! School is taking over my life (I'm sure you all know the feeling...)**

**I am sick with the flu today, but at least it gave me time to post!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

The scruffy-looking girl glared at Leo as he set his lunch tray on the otherwise empty table. He grinned at her. "Name's Leo Valdez. Pleasure to meet you!"

She eyed him warily, like he was a member of the crew of popular girls who had been giving her a hard time earlier. She had looked so lonely afterwards, that Leo couldn't resist approaching her. Hey, they were both loners. Maybe they would make a good team.

The girl gave a little sigh of defeat. "Piper. Piper Mclean."

"Mclean?" Leo's knowledge of celebrities wasn't exactly the greatest, but the name 'Mclean' was familiar even to him. "As in Tristan Mclean? From _The King of Sparta_?" His last foster sister had loved that movie.

Piper winced and looked furtively around like someone might be eavesdropping. "Yes. He's my dad. Can you…not tell anyone? I didn't mean to let it slip but…"

"Wait, hold up!" Leo raised his hand. "So if you're dad's a king, does that mean you're a princess?"

She frowned, clutching her soda-can like she wanted to crush it.

Leo went on, in a tone of mock chivalry. "I'm so sorry, your highness, that I did not introduce myself in a manner, uh…befitting your rank. It's an honor to be acquainted with you, your majesty." He bowed.

Piper stared at him for a minute, blinked once and burst into gales of laughter.

* * *

**Next theme: Do Not Disturb**


	22. Do Not Disturb

**First of all, I'm really, really sorry for disappearing for like, a month. And for only returning with a really short one-shot that's mostly dialouge and took me way too long to write. I know a bunch of you would like a longer one-shot, and I originally intended for this one to be long, but it just didn't work out.**

**The good news is that I started working on #27 (Fast Food) early, and I already know that it's going to be long. (It's currently at about 300 words and is only about a third done.) :)**

**Yikes, even this AN is practically longer then the oneshot! *goes to Corner of Shame***

**I own nothing**

* * *

Leo was close to a breakthrough, he just _knew_ it. He just needed to decode this one section that might be able to unlock ...

There was a knock at the door of the engine room. Leo sighed and put down the scroll of Archimedes. "Did you notice the huge 'Do Not Disturb; Genius at Work' sign?"

"Leo if you don't open this door," Piper's voice was soft yet dangerous "then I will get Frank to turn into a gorilla and tear it off its hinges."

"You mean he isn't one already?"

"Leo! Get the door _now_!"

He got the door.

* * *

**Again, sorry.**

**The next theme is 'Rejection'**

**I'll try not to make the wait this long again! **


	23. Rejection

**I really don't have anything to say about this except I'M REEEEEEAAALLY, really, really sorry.**

**I have no excuse but that my schoolwork completely took over this semester. Hopefully, once I take my AP tests (or at least Calculus, the important one) I can start updating with rapidity.**

**Again, I am so, so sorry. :(**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

"Sorry buddy, but I promised Piper I'd take her to that movie showing. I guess you could come too, but…"

Leo sighed into the telephone receiver. "Nah, it's fine. You guys have fun."

"'Kay. See you tomorrow maybe?"

"Sure. So long, Sparky." He hung up before Jason could object to the nickname.

* * *

"Ma'am, you must understand that the boy has no other relatives to take him in." The policeman had lowered his voice, but Leo could still hear him.

Aunt Rosa's expression didn't change – she continued glaring at Leo from within the framework of her front door. "I have already given you my answer. I will not have that _diabolo _in my house. Take him away and do not let me see him again." She slammed the door in their faces.

* * *

Leo had been rejected more times than he could count. So many times in fact, that he was happy whenever he _wasn't _put down.

So as Leo walked away from her in that park, he had a grin on his face and a skip in his step.

She had said "Maybe."

She hadn't rejected him.

She hadn't rejected him!

* * *

**The next one will be "Fear." There will be no updates until May 9th at the absolute earliest.**

**And now I have to go study.**

**(I hope you don't hate me too much)**


	24. Fear

**Sorry for the wait. Internet has been down**

**I own nothing**

* * *

1.

Fear of failing:

He _won't _let them down again,

he thinks as he steers the ship

to Epirus.

* * *

2.

Fear of abandonment:

_They'll leave me eventually._

_Like everything else._

His eyes stare straight ahead

Looking neither right

Nor left.

* * *

3.

Fear of crazy nymphs:

(What can he say?

He's had some bad experiences.)

The memories make him smile a little.

* * *

4.

Fear of causing pain:

The smile disappears.

He needs to stay as far away

as possible

from that stick.

* * *

5.

Fear of never being loved back:

_No_.

He spins the wheel in frustration.

He will not think about that

- about _her -_

now.

* * *

6.

Fear of Gaia:

He _has_ to do something

to stop her.

He_ has_ to.

He makes a decision.

* * *

7.

Fear of fire:

The charred wheel of the ship

circles aimlessly;

the empty wind

spins it around.

* * *

**Next up: Puzzle**

**(I have it written already. I'll post it the next time I manage to be online :D)**


	25. Puzzle

**Whoa, a timely update. What can this mean?**

**The good news is that I have all the chapters more-or-less written up to chapter 30.**

**The bad news is that now I have to revise them (ick).**

* * *

Leo frowned as he toiled over his current project – a intricate set of cogs and gears that were soon to become the interior for a gizmo that would raise and lower the sails of the _Argo II_.

It was a puzzle; how to wirelessly connect this mechanism to something that he could hold from the wheel. He needed something that wouldn't be too bulky, something that wouldn't take up a lot of space.

Maybe he could use some kind of radio signal? No…

Frustrated, he gently set down the mechanism, pushed back his stool, and left Bunker 9.

For a second he stood and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sudden sunlight. He had been in the dimness of the bunker since early that morning, working non-stop long past lunchtime.

Once he could see clearly, he started walking in the direction of the cabins. His stomach rumbled.

Leo made his way through camp, grinning and nodding at the demigods he passed. Most smiled back – Leo was always a little puzzled, pleasantly so, at how accepting and friendly they were towards him.

He walked past the in-construction _Argo II_; its bulk cast a huge shadow over where Leo stood.

"Hey Leo!" Jason leaned over the railing from where he was overseeing the work. "Taking a break?"

Leo grinned. "Yep" he shouted. "Ran into trouble with the sail raiser and decided to go get a snack. You coming?"

Jason looked uneasy. "I'm supposed to make sure nothing goes wrong up here" he yelled back down.

"Aw, c'mon man!"

"Well…okay. Nyssa," he shouted behind him, "you're in charge until I get back." He jumped down, using his flight abilities to slow his landing. He grinned at Leo. "Let's go."

They walked quickly to the Big House. As they climbed up onto the porch, Jason said "sandwiches or cookies?"

"Both" replied Leo, grinning.

They passed through the living room on the way to the kitchen, where Travis and Connor Stoll were playing Mario Karts.

"Ha! Beat 'ya!" Travis jumped up and down on the couch before taking the Wii remote out of the wheel and chucking it at Connor.

Jason frowned. "You're going to be in a lot of trouble if Chiron catches you jumping on the couch."

"Aw, lighten up, Roman!"

Leo wasn't listening. He had walked over to where Travis had thrown the Wii remote and picked it up. He blocked out the escalating argument between Jason and the Stolls, and instead turned the remote over in his hands, thinking.

Suddenly, he got it. The last piece of the puzzle was in his hands.

"Eureka!" he shouted. He ran through the cluster of arguing demigods and headed for the door.

"I thought we were going to get snacks!" Jason yelled.

Over his shoulder, Leo shouted "Not now. I've got a puzzle to work on!"

* * *

**It's funny, I initially thought that I would have a lot of time to write once summer started, but I've actually been super busy because of project I'm working on. Oh well.**

**Next up: Hunger**


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